Indiana University optometry students and faculty provided free eye exams to thousands of people, including nearly 10,000 children in Indiana and abroad, according to an April 23 announcement. The program also delivered vision screenings for hundreds of amateur sports players, including Special Olympics participants and IU college athletes.
The initiative aims to improve eyesight and overall well-being by identifying undetected vision problems. Regular screenings can help people perform better in school, sports, and daily life.
At a recent screening event with IU Athletics at Memorial Stadium, optometrists discovered an uncorrected eye problem in Fernando Mendoza, the university’s quarterback who led the team to a national championship. “When I got (to IU) and did the eye testing, I found out that I actually needed better vision, and that I was living my life straining for better vision,” Mendoza said after being diagnosed with hyperopia. He added: “It helped my confidence knowing that I did everything possible to help my vision… It really helped me with my peripheral vision. That’s a big thing when you’re playing the game; everything happens so fast.” Dr. Katie Connolly from the IU School of Optometry explained that many young patients do not realize they are experiencing strain or fatigue due to farsightedness: “Hyperopia is a condition in which you can see well most of the time, but you’re putting in a lot of work to see.” She noted that this often leads to headaches or tiredness by day’s end.
The relationship between IU’s optometry program and athletics began in 1985 through research on eye tracking and concussions. Today, screenings serve about 200 new student-athletes each year using stations staffed by small teams of optometry students under faculty supervision. Jenna Barbour, a fourth-year student involved in these events, said: “Vision screenings have been essential to my early skill development as an optometrist because they’re an opportunity to grow our clinical skills… I remember being surprised by how many we referred to the eye clinic for a comprehensive exam.”
Beyond athletics partnerships locally—such as providing free school-based screenings for about 5,000 children—the program also participates annually in Special Olympics’ Opening Eyes event serving nearly 500 participants. Internationally, Connolly leads trips where students provide care for around 4,000 children through See Better Learn Better in Jamaica.
Indiana University Bloomington functions as a public research university according to its official website. The campus is known for its limestone architecture according to its official website and attracts students from all U.S. states as well as over 150 countries according to its official website. The university contributes economically and culturally within Indiana according to its official website, focusing on advancing research while serving as a leading hub for higher education according to its official website.
Connolly concluded: “Routine eye exams aren’t just about seeing better; they help people perform their best in school, at work and in life… No one should have to get too far in life with an undetected vision problem.”
